Gas generator



Aug. 8, 1933. H. c. HEATON GAS GENERATOR Filed March 9, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 ATTORNEY Aug. 8, 1933. H. c. HEATO N 5 GAS GENERATOR Filed March 9, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig- 7 j INVENTOR Patented Aug. 8, 1933 UNITED STATES GAS GENERATOR Herman C. Heaton, Chicago, Ill.

Application March 9, 1928. Serial No. 260,285

14 Claims.

This invention relates to a gas generator that can be continuously operated and will be understood from the description in connection with the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 is a vertical section through an illustrative embodiment of the invention; Fig. 2 is a section along the line 22 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a section along the line 3-3 of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a section along the line 44 of Fig. 1; Fig. 5 is a section along 1 section through a modification, and Fig. 7 is a vertical section through another modification.

In the drawings reference character 10 indicates a'vertical cylindrically shaped'retort that is open at the top and bottom. It may be made of a metal shell on the outside that is lined on the inside with refractory material or heat-resistant material, as indicated at 11. The lower end' of the retort 10 is provided on the outside with ametal ring 12 that is secured to the retort. An annular rail 13 is secured to the ring 12 at the lower end of the retort and rests upon a series of rollers 14 that are mounted on horizontal axes and supported by a stationary frame or support 15. A spur gear 16 is also attached to the ring 13 and is driven by a pinion 17 by means of a driving mechanism 18. i

A ring 20 is attached to the retort 10 near its upper end-and carries an annular rail 21. A series of rollers 22 mounted upon vertical axes in a supporting frame 23 is disposed around the outside of the rail 21 and these rollers keep the upper end of the retort 10 in place as it revolves.

A hollow stationary baflle 25 that may be covered with firebrick or the like on the outside to resist heat extends longitudinally through the retort 10 and its upper end terminates a slight distance above the upper end of the retort. A

circular plate 26' is secured to the upper end of 40 baffle 25 and this plate 26 has a somewhat larger diameter than that of the retort 10. A cylindrical steel shell 27 is attached to the periphery of the plate 26 and extends longitudinally of the retort 10 approximately to the lower end thereof, thus providing an annular channel 28 between the retort 10 and the shell 27. An annular plate 29 is attached to the retort 10 at the upper edge of the ring 12 and its'outer edge extends downwardly to cooperate-with an annular plate 29 that is attached to the inside of the shell 27. The downwardly extending edge of the plate 29 slides on stationary plate 29' in a circumferential direction and the two plates keep the lower end of the space 28 closed.

For the purpose of keeping the upper end of the line 55 of Fig. 1; Fig. 6 is a horizontal the space 28 closed, an annular plate 30 is attached to the upper end of the retort 10 and has a downwardly extending cylindrical shell 31 that extends into an annular trough 32. This trough 32 is attached to the upper edge of the sta- 6O tionary support 23. The trough contains liquid and the shell 31 extending into this liquid provides a seal for the upper end of the space- 28. An opening 35 is provided in the stationary plate 26 at the upper end of the bafiie 25 and on one side of the baffie; A gas outlet 36 is connected to the opening 35 and a coal spout 37 extends through the opening 35 from a storage bin 38, the coal feeder 39 being provided between the storage bin and the spout. 70

One or more air ducts 40 lead from the fan 41 through holes in the plate 26 into the inside of the hollow baffle 25. One or more fuel ducts 42 corresponding to the air ducts 40 are mounted concentrically with the air ducts 40 and extend into the hollow baffle 25. The lower ends of the ducts 40 and 42 extend through a side wall of the baflie 25 near the upper end of the retort. A hopper 45 is provided at the lower end of the retort on one side of the baflie 25 and leads to a conveyor 46. A steam pipe 47 leads into the upper part of the hopper 45. A corresponding hopper 48 is provided at the lower end of the retort on the other side of the bafile 25 and this hopper leads to an outlet opening 49 for ashes and the like and also leads to a gas duct 50 that leads into an opening 51 in the shell 27 near the lower'end of the annular space 28. A corresponding opening 52 is'provided in the shell 27 near the upper end of the annular space 28, and this opening leads to a duct 53 which, in turn, leads to a stack, not shown. Perforations 55 are formed in the shell '27 opposite the opening 52 for'the admission of air, and an outlet opening 56 is provided in the shell 27 near the lower end of the space 28 and opposite the opening 51. An air duct 57 leads'from the opening 56 to the fan 41.

Long narrow radial metal plates 60 are attached to the outside of the retort 10 and extend longitudinally thereof from the lower edges of the openings 52 and 55 at the top to the upper edges of the openings 51 and 56 at the bottom. The outer edges of the plates 60 are near the inside surface of the shell 27 but the plates are free to be carried around in the annular space 28 when the retort 1O revolves. Sealing plates 61 and 62 are provided in the annular space 28 between the retort 10 and the shell 27 opposite the edges of the baffle 25. A pair of these sealing plates 61 and 62 is located half way between the openings 52 and 55 and a similar pair is located half way between the openings 51 and 58 and these sealing plates 61 and 62 are attached to the shell 27 so as to be stationary. These sealing plates are provided with flanges 63 and 64 that lie very close to the outside surface of the retort 10 so as to prevent gas leakage and the lower ends of the upper pair of plates 61 and 62 as well as the upper ends of the lower pair of these plates are provided with flanges 65 and 66 of at least suflicient width to span the spaces between adjacent plates 60. The ends of the revolving plates 60 move in close proximity to the ends of the stationary plates 61 and 62.

In order for the bafiie 25 to divide the inside of the retort 10 into separate compartments without permitting gas leakage between the two, steel plates 68 are attached to the edges of the baffie 25 and their edges slide along the inside of the retort 10 when the retort revolves. Tubes 69 may be located in proximity to or attached to the plates 68 so that air or other cooling fluid may be passed through these tubes for keeping the plates 68 cool.

In the modification shown in Fig. 6, the bafiie 25' is located along a chord instead of along a diameter of the retort 10, so that this retort will be divided into two unequal compartments; otherwise the structure is similar to that already described.

The operation is as follows: A mixture of air and fuel which may be either solid, liquid or gaseous such as coal, oil or gas is introduced through the conduits 40 and 42 into a compartment of the retort 10 on one side of the baflie 25, the air being preferably preheated. Combustion takes place in this compartment and the products of combustion pass downwardly heating one-half of the retort 10 and then pass through the conduit 50 and opening 51 into the annular space between the retort l0 and the shell 27, the ashes and soot passing out through the outlet 49. The hot products of combustion ascending in the space 28 heat the radial metal plates 60 and then pass through the opening 52 and conduit 53 to the stack. The retort 10 is kept revolving and as the heated portion thereof passes to the other side of the bafile 25,

' coal that may be pulverized is fed through the spout 37 into the compartment on the other side of the bafiie 25 opposite the combustion compartment and the heat in the wall of the retort that has passed around to this side, heats the coal as it descends and causes distillation vapors and gases to be evolved which; pass upwardly and outwardly through the outlet 36 to any convenient place of storage or use, the valuable condensible constituents being con densed, if desired, after the gases pass out. superheated steam may be introduced into the lower end of the compartment through the pipe 47 when found to be desirable to assist the distillation of the coal or in order to increase the quantity of the total gas produced from a unit weight of coal. Solid material passes out through the outlet 49 or is removed by the conveyor 46. 1

Air for combustion purposes enters through the perforations 55 and passing downwardly in the space 28 between the metal plates 60 become heated and then passes out through the opening 56, conduit 57 into the fan 41, thence through the ducts 40 into the combustion space at one side of the bafile 25.

In the modification shown in Fig. 7, the portions similar to those already described are designated by the same reference characters and the description thereof will not be repeated. In this modification, the fuel for heating the retort is producer gas and is introduced through a pipe 70 at the bottom of the retort, and the hot products of combustion pass upwardly and out through the conduit 71 into the annular space between the retort 10 and the shell 27, as indicated at 72, to heat the plates 60 and then pass downwardly and out through the opening '73 into the conduit 74 and thence to the stack, not shown. Air enters the perforations 55' at the lower edge of the shell 27 and passes upwardly in contact with the hot plates 60, thence out through the conduit 57' and fan 41', part of the air entering the lower portion of the combustion space and a part going to the gas generators.

The hydrocarbons distilled from the coal in the retort are used in this modification for enriching blue water gas that is introduced from a blue water gas generator through the tube 75' that enters the lower end of the hollow bathe 25 and leaves through one side near the upper end thereof into the coal distilling compartment of the retort. The blue water gas will be enriched by the hydrocarbons from the coal by mixing therewith without any of the powdered coal being carried into the mixture.

The water gas generators are shown diagrammatically and two are preferably used, so that while producer gas is being obtained from one, blue water gas is being obtained from the other, and vice versa. The gas generators are indicated at 80 and 81 and may be of the usual well-known type. A steam pipe 82 is provided with valved branches 83 and 84 which lead both to the lower and the upper portions of the generators 80 and 81. A branch air pipe 85 from the fan 41' ,is provided with branches 86 and 87 that lead to the bottom of the generators 80 and 81.

The gas generators 80 and 81 are provided with outlet pipes 88 and 89, respectively, at the upper ends of the generators. Each of the pipes 88 and 89 is provided with a valved branch 90 that leads to the pipe 70 in the lower portion of the combustion space of the retort and each pipe 88 and 89 is also provided with a valved branch 91 that leads to the pipe 75. When one of the generators is generating producer gas and the other one is generating blue water gas, the valves will be so set that producer gas will enter the pipe '70 and the blue water gas will enter the pipe 75, and the valves will be changed when the operations are reversed, so that there will be a continuous supply of the desired kind of gas to the pipes 70 and 75.

I claim:

1. A gas generator comprising a vertically disposed rotary retort, a longitudinally disposed partition in said retort and stationary with respect thereto, means for maintaining a combustion on one side of said partition, and means to introduce material to be distilled into said retort on the other side of said partition.

2. A gas generator comprising a vertically disposed rotary retort, a hollow partition in said retort and stationary with respect thereto, means for maintaining combustion on one side of said partition, and means to introduce material to be distilled into said retort on the other side of said partition. v

3. A gas generator comprising a vertically disposed rotary retort, a longitudinally disposed partition in said retort and stationary with respect thereto, means for maintaining combustion on one side of said partition, means to introduce material to be distilled into said retort on the other side of said partition, and a casing surrounding said retort and spaced therefrom.

4. A gas generator comprising a vertically disposed rotary retort, a partition in said retort and stationary with respect thereto, means for maintaining combustion on one side of said partition, means to introduce material to be distilled into said retort on the other side of said partition, a casing surrounding said retort and spaced therefrom, and a gas seal between the upper ends of said casing and retort.

5. A gas generator comprising a vertically disposed rotary retort, a longitudinally disposed partition in said retort and stationary with respect thereto, means for maintaining combustion on one side of said partition, means to introduce material to be distilled into said retort on the other side of said partition, and means for withdrawing solids from the bottom of said retort.

6. A gas generator comprising a vertically disposed rotary retort, a longitudinally disposed partition in said retort and stationary with respect thereto, means for maintaining combustion on one side of said partition, means to introduce material to be distilled into said retort on the other side of said partition, means for withdrawing solids from the bottom of said retort, and means for withdrawing gases from the top thereof.

'7. A gas generator comprising a vertically disposed rotary retort, a longitudinally disposed partition in said retort and stationary with respect thereto, means to introduce fuel and air into said retort on one side of said partition, and means to introduce material to be distilled into said retort on the other side of said partition.

8. A gas generator comprising a vertically disposed rotary retort, a partition in said retort and stationary with respect thereto, means for maintaining combustion on one side of said partition, means to introduce material to be distilled into said retort on the other side of said partition, and means to keep a substantially gas-tight joint between the edges of said partition and the inside of said retort.

9. A gas generator comprising a vertically disposed rotary retort, a partition in said retort and stationary with respect thereto, means for maintaining combustion on one side of said partition, means to introduce material to be distilled into said retort on the other side of said partition, means to keep a substantially gas-tight joint between the edges of said partition and the inside of said retort, and means to cool said partition.

10. A gas generator comprising a vertically disposed rotary retort, a stationary partition in said retort, means for maintaining combustion on one side of said partition, means to introduce material to be distilled into said retort on the other side of said partition, a casing surrounding said retort and spaced therefrom, and heat absorbing vanes on the outside of said retort extending across the space between it and said casing.

11. A gas generator comprising a vertically disposed rotary retort, a stationary partition in said retort, means for maintaining combustion on one side of said partition, means to introduce material to be distilled into said-retort on the other side of said partition, a casing surroundingsaid retort and spaced therefrom, heat absorbing vanes on the outside of said retort extending across the space between it and said casing, and means for causing hot products of combustion to come into contact with said vanes during a part of their travel and air to be heated to come into contact with them during another part of their travel.

12. A gas generator comprising a rotary retort, means to pass hot gases longitudinally along one side of said retort inside of the same and material to be distilled along the other side thereof, and means to keep said gases and said material separated from each other.

13. A gas generator comprising a rotary retort having heat absorbing fins on the outside thereof, means to pass hot gases longitudinally along one side of said retort inside of the same retort inside of the same and material to be distilled along the other side thereof, and means to keep said gases and said material separated from each other.

HERMAN C. HEATON. 

